Piracy incidents against ships in Asia drops to only three in November

17.12.2018

There were only three incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in November, according to data from Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), reported Shipping Gazette.One was a piracy incident that occurred on board a ship while underway in the South China Sea, and two were armed robberies against ships anchored/ berthed at Tabangao anchorage area, Batangas Bay, Philippines.ReCAAP said the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off eastern Sabah remains a serious concern.Compared to the preceding month of October, the number of incidents reported in November has decreased from six in October to three in November.In the first 11 months of the year there was a total of 73 reported incidents, comprising 59 actual incidents and 14 attempted incidents. Of the 73 incidents, 69 were incidents of armed robbery against ships and four were piracy incidents.Compared to January-November 2017, there was a 15 per cent decrease in the total number of reported incidents during the same period this year.The total number of actual incidents reported during January-November 2018 was the lowest among the 10-year reporting period of January-November 2009-2017.With regards to the situation in Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off eastern Sabah, there were no reports of actual or attempted incidents involving the abduction of crew from ships while underway in these waters this November.The last attempted incident occurred to containership, Kudos 1 while sailing off Sibago islands, Basilan, Philippines on February 16.On October 30, ReCAAP ISC issued a warning about Abu Sayyaf group members planning to conduct kidnapping activities at any opportune time in undisclosed areas in Sabah.